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Dresden-class Cruiser
The Dresden are a class of polyvalent, multi-role, nuclear-powered missile cruisers. They can serve as escorts for larger ships, independently, or as flagships for destroyer formations. They were designed to be a primary workhorse ship for the Volksmarine and to be capable of fulfilling all sorts of mission profiles. They are named after important cities within East Germany but also its territories. The naming of certain ships after major cities of Territory Länder was seen as a symbol of the inclusion and important of these territories. Background In 1991, the Volksmarine was essentially but a paper formation and fielded only coastal patrol boats, auxiliaries, and a very small number of old Soviet frigates. As part of the re-armament program, it was decided that the Volksmarine required an adequate bluewater, locally-produced vessel to maintain any form of legitimacy, let alone consider power projection of any kind. Several hurdles and challenges shaped the development of the Dresden class, including the 50-years gap in naval tradition, the limited number and size of available drydocks, and the limited amount of time and resources that could be invested. As a result of these challenges, it was decided that the Volksmarine needed a polyvalent vessel that could tackle any task the navy required of it in an at least adequate manner. It shares a number of design philosophies and technologies with the Leviathan-class of battleships which was conjointly designed at the same time. Design Superstructure The Dresden-class are 203 meters long overall and 21 meters wide at the beam, for a draft of 7.2 meters. They displace 15'900 long tons in standard displacement and 17'400 long tons in full combat load. It is heavier than its closest equivalent the American Ticonderoga class cruiser, and equivalent to similarly-sized WWII-era heavy cruisers. The main structure, which features a double hull and compartmentalized bulkheads, is composed of High-Strength Low Alloy structural steel, while armor plating is made of OM-S803 steel alloy. A hangar with a capacity of 2 helicopters is present aft of the ship. The Dresden class's armor uses the same building blocks as the larger Leviathan class, with its 40mm thick layer plates and boron carbide ceramics. Unlike the semi all-or-nothing Leviathan, its armor scheme is more reminiscent of the turtleback method. Its belt is composed of two layers of OM-S803 and boron carbide plates, for a total of 80mm of steel and two levels of ceramic, which is identical to the 'light armor' found on the Leviathan. This was due to the decision that lower levels of armor would not be sufficient to protect the ship from light weapons and rockets. Its magazines, powerplants and citadel are also reinforced by a 50mm hardened plate of metal-matrix composite laced with boron-nitride fibers and additional ceramics, for a total thickness of 130mm before composites. Stahlseide spall liners are present behind the belt armor and the main armored deck, and automated fire extinguishing systems are individually tied to each compartmentalized sub-division of the ship. Propulsion The Dresden class ships are powered by the MKrE1 nuclear marine reactor, which is a metal-cooled fast neutron reactor making use of lead-bismuth liquid metal coolant and highly-enriched U235 as fuel. Two such reactors are installed on each Dresden along a central axis. The Bulkhead layout is organized in such a manner as to cross the reactor cores longitudinally, so that if one side of reactor is flooded, damaged, or otherwise inaccessible, the mirror, redundant access hatches and monitoring and control stations on the other side can still be used. Each MKrE1 generates roughly 175 megawatt, for a a combined total of 350MW. They are optimized for electrical generation as they drive two electric motors and propeller shafts through a turbo-electric transmission, rather than conventional steam and direct drive systems. This system is favored for its agility and resistance to damage, but also due to a belief within East German naval thinkers that in order to keep up with emergent technologies, a large amount of onboard electrical power will be necessary. Turbo-electrical drives are however heavier than direct drives, and combined with the use of nuclear reactors which are also very heavy, the center-line suffers a certain amount of structural stress which requires sturdier, and thus again heavier construction. This was judged as acceptable drawbacks for a fast, nimble and sturdy vessel of unlimited nautical range. Armament The Dresden Class are hybrid surface combatants armed with both guns and missile silos. While guns are largely considered obsolete compared to missiles, they still have a niche in matters of staying power, shore bombardment, amphibious assault, and close-range combat. Each Dresden is armed with two triple-mount 210mm turrets, one aft and one fire, firing rocket-assisted projectiles. Some laser-guided, fin-deploying munitions have been tested experimentally. The ship's missile firepower is concentrated in six 2x12 centralized launchers, with three located each aft and for, near the turret mounts. Additionally, 12 1x4 small periphery launchers are present on the sides of the ship, six on each side behind reinforced armor. These add up to 144 universal launch cells and 48 air defense cells only capable of loading anti-air/anti-missile payloads. Finally, two 3-tubes 533 torpedo tubes are present at the bow The torpedo tubes are loaded with RPK-6 anti-submarine missiles, which fire submerged then take off to their target. As it was designed to carry a wide range of mission roles, its large number of universal launch cells can be fitted with a diverse loadout of missiles. The standard Anti-ship cruise missile is the P-800 Oniks, while additional anti-submarine firepower is available in the form of the 3M-54 Kalibr. For air defense purposes and low-intensity land-attack, S-300FM are available, while Tor-M1 and Tunguska missiles complement the anti-aircraft/anti-missile role. Finally, four Kashtan CIWs are spaced out around the ship, with two on each side amidship, one aft and one fore for further air defense purposes and as a measure against small motor boats. Electronics The main sensor suite for the Dresden class cruisers is the Satellit module of the Goliath system. It is composed of an AESA multifunction radar scanning in both the in the X and L bands coupled with active and passive sonars, the former of which also scans in two different ranges. While it is individually inferior to the Core module of the Goliath, it is still capable of performing all required tasks of a combat suite. The true strength of the Goliath system is revealed when multiple Satellite modules network together through a Core module, granting them outstanding detection, tracking and EECM capabilities. Countermeasures Final approach defense against hostile missiles is handled by the Kashtan systems spread throughout the hull and are complemented by four RPK-8 12-tube anti-submarine launchers which are capable of destroying torpedoes and submarines alike but also target small targets like divers. ECM capabilities are handled by the Goliath system. Ships Class Overview Dresden Part of the Kampflotte Reinhard, currently deployed in the South Ocean Kattowitz Part of the Kamplfotte Reinhard, currently deployed in the South Ocean Nesseldorf Part of the Kampflotte Reinhard, currently deployed in the South Ocean Eisenach Securing the Tanzanian naval space for protection of humanitarian aid and refugees off the coast of East Africa. Pilsen Securing the home waters in the Baltic Sea Wroclaw Securing the home waters in the Baltic Sea Category:East Germany Category:Ships